The Opposition parties welcomed the Supreme Court judgment on the local body elections in the State.
In a statement on Monday, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said that it was laudable that the apex court had issued a timely order for conducting the elections. “The judgment will go a long way in upholding the democracy in the State. The apex court’s order should be an eye-opener for the Jagan Mohan Reddy and his party,” he said.
Stressing on the need for a free and fair election for the panchayats, Mr. Naidu said that the polls should be held in an unbiased manner without any scope for irregularities and intimidation.
“The violence and the harassment meted out to the rival parties by the YSRCP that was witnessed during the election last year should not repeat,” said the TDP president.
The BJP also welcomed the judgment. In a release, party’s State general secretary S. Vishnuvardhan Reddy said all the departments concerned should extend cooperation for the smooth conduct of elections as that the apex court had dismissed the petition filed by the government.
He observed that the BJP supporters would participate in the elections, which is crucial for development of the rural areas.
‘Govt. must cooperate’
Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary K. Ramakrishna, in a statement, said that the both State government and the State Election Commission (SEC) should honour the Supreme Court’s judgment. “The government should cooperate with the SEC in conducting the polls in a free and fair manner,” he said.